Written By Srimathi Mani on Thursday, May 30, 2013 | 10:17 AM

For a while I have been in persuit of making bagara baigan (BB). It all began when I tasted the bagara baigan at Hawali (Dublin, Ca). Every Friday, they served it in their lunch menu and that was a sure reason for us to have lunch there. This week at the farmer's market we were able to get some baby eggplant and I decided to make BB. Today for dinner I made almost 3 quarts of this delicious side dish and served it along with pulav. This recipe is adapted from the Vah chef's recipe and so delicious. I however think, at Hawali they added cream and made it super rich. I skipped the cream and I think the sauce was rich enough and delicious.

Gadgets:

Food Processor

Frying Pan

Cutting Board

Spatula

Slotted Spoon

Measuring Cups

Knife

Kuzhi Appam Pam

Ingredients:

Eggplant - 12

Onion - 1 1/2 diced

Ginger - 2 inch

Garlic - 4 cloves

Green Chillies - 1

Cilantro - 1/4 cup for garnish

Oil - For For Shallow Frying

Oil - 2 tbsp for Cooking

Jaggery - 1 tbsp

Fenugreek Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Raw Peanuts - 1 cup

White Sesame Seeds - 1/4 cup

Dry Coconut - 1 fist full

Cumin Powder - 1 1/2 tsp

Coriander Powder - 1 tbsp

Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp

Cinnamon - 1 inch
Cloves - 3
Bay Leaves - 2
Cardamom - 3

Hing - a dash

Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp

Tamarind Juice - 1 cup

Water - 4 cups

Salt to taste

Preparation:

1. Heat the appam pan with oil. Keeping the stem of the eggplant intact, slit the eggplant vertically and horizontally. Place them in the appam pan and fry them until they are cooked.

2. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a frying pan. Add peanuts and roast them on medium heat. Add sesame seeds and dry coconut and toast it well. Remove and add to a food processor, Add 2 cup of water and make it into a sauce that is kind not a fine paste, but lightly grainy.

3. Heat the frying pan again with 2 tbsp of oil. Add cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, bay leaves and allow to mix with the warm oil for 30 seconds. then add the onions, ginger garlic paste and salt. Cook the onions.

4. Add the peanut sauce to the onions, and cook on medium heat. Add some water and cover and cook for 10 minutes, but make sure to give it a mix regularly.

5. Add tamarind water ad jaggery and cook for 5 minutes. Add the eggplants in the sauce and cook it on low flame. Garnish with cilantro and serve it hot with rice or naan.

Hi Sree,Bagara baingan looks delicious.btw I am not getting any of these updates even though I have joined ur site.When I click ur blog name in my blogger dashboard its simply blank thought I will let u know.